A video which shows police in Hawthorne, California, shooting and killing a man’s dog has gone viral since its posting on Reddit Sunday night, which has now been disabled.

The dog’s owner, Leon Rosby, told reporters that the officer used unnecessary force by killing his dog, which was only trying to protect his master. However, the Hawthorne Police Department states that the action was taken in order to protect both the officers and Rosby.

The incident started when police were called to a house in the area for an armed robbery in progress at an occupied home. Once officers arrived, the robbery quickly turned to a dangerous standoff between the armed intruders and the police. As police vehicles, including an armored tactical vehicle, began to line the streets of the neighborhood, spectators came out as well, many videotaping the events.

During the standoff, Rosby pulled up in his rented black Mazda with his music blaring. The officers asked him to turn the music down so they could hear what was going on with the standoff situation nearby. Rosby pulled his car forward and parked, but left the music playing loudly. He then got out of the car, walking around with his Rottweiler, and also recording the officers.

Once the suspects from the home invasion were in custody, Rosby led his dog to sit in the back seat of his car. Officers approached Rosby and after handcuffing him with the intent to arrest him for interfering with a crime, the dog jumped through the open windows of the car, ran toward Rosby and the officers and started barking. The situation escalated when a third officer approached them.

As the dog was barking continuously, the video appears to show the third officer attempting to reach for the dog’s leash in order to contain him. At that point, the Rottweiler jumped at the officer and that’s when the first shot was fired, followed by three more fatal shots.

Rosby, who already has a pending case against the Hawthorne Police Department for allegedly breaking one of his ribs after they came to his house on a domestic disturbance call, stated that he and his lawyer will be amending the suit to include a claim against the officer for killing his dog, Max, as well.

Rosby’s attorney, Michael Gulden, said, “There’s been a pattern of harassment against him and other African-Americans in Hawthorne.”

Rosby claims that he was not trying to be disruptive during the ordeal, but rather that he was only filming the officers to ensure that “nobody’s civil rights were being violated.”

Rosby is acquainted with the officers of the Hawethorn Police, as he has had previous arrests for resisting, battery and driving under the influence and has also filed a total of six complaints against the department, accusing them of mistreatment and racial profiling. Rosby also insists that the officers were retaliating against him for the complaints that he previously filed.

The police department released a statement, asserting that the totality of the circumstances with Rosby “created an increasingly dangerous situation and demanded officers’ focus away from the matter at hand,” and that is what ultimately led to his arrest.

The statement also concluded that the officer shot the dog in self-defense, “Fearing that the attacking Rottweiler would imminently bite the officer(s).”

Opinions are varied on the incident and comments posted to the video, which is now on YouTube, range from one side to the other:

“If i was there and i saw this…….RIOT!!!! Fuck These fucking pig cop bastard mother fuckers!!! Oink, Oink, Oink you fucking pig bastards!!!!!”

“The policeman clearly tried to grab the dog first to try and restrain it.. Do you food stamp eating, criminal minded idiots, not have eyes?”

I love animals - and not sure how I would react to having one of my animals killed, but I have to say you need common sense. The police have a tough enough job without an ass interfering and blasting his music - sorry indeed for the poor dog, but this guy was a asshole.

Sorry but citizens have rights. He may have been out of line but I feel they overstepped their bounds. I'm worried this is a culture of abuse being fostered in our police departments at many levels. I know a lot of cops that agree.

With all the unconstitutional house rads steeling people homes and a hole lot mere like poles brutality allot of cops should be in jail and be discipline but thy get away with it all the time. I would be recording to he had a right to record and keep his music on he was at a good distends away from them maybe some cops just don't now how to do there job and just like to arrest how ever. Since some of you like the reel criminals and seaport them maybe those people should go to jail to now that a majority of poles have become a menace to society.

no.1, guy should have turned his music down or off when asked to. 2nd, why would you hang around a hot crime scene to videotape if someones rights are violated? 3rdyou have a large Rottweiler cops don't know if its friendly, just because guy says so? so I am at a loss for words,POOR DOG, looks well kept except for this time. should have secured dog in car better.now people blame cop for shooting dog? he lcame at cop, so sorry dogs going to lose here. I am an animal lover as I have 5 of my own dogs. but this is owners fault all the way. should not have stuck his nose were it didn't belong.

no 1. Just because a cop asks you to turn something down, doesn't mean you have to. He wasn't breaking the law. 2nd the reason people hang around a crime seen like that is for this reason. 3rd The have fucking tazers.... Cops fault.

@Ronald Sandidge yea it was more of a "hi pet me because were supposed to be bestfriends jump" and no where near vicious.. police look for an excuse to draw their guns all the time. they get bored, want action, so they become ignorant, and draw at anything they can say they thought it was a threat. 100 bucks says if they would have waited it out we would have seen he wasn't attacking. not all rottweilers are mean for no reason.

The cops see in the wrong. They have no reason to detain the guy for asking a question. They s sure as hell have no reason to shoot the dog.
They were standing down the street doing nothing, so they can't say he interrupted or interfered with anything.
Just done hard ass cops trying to be the bad ass.
Dicks!

It's one thing to film a scene to "make sure" no one had their civil rights abused, HOWEVER, this guy was doing it all wrong. He was blatantly being an idiot, pretty much asking the cops to get irritated and come do "something". He could have quietly filmed from one spot with no dog in hand - NOT pacing back and forth with his loud music in the background, just asking for trouble. The sad part here is that dogs remain loyal to their masters - they don't judge based on race, wealth, idiocy, etc. The dog was doing what dogs do, what any loyal dog would do. The asswipe left the dog in a car with a window all the way down...OF COURSE he's gonna jump out. In addition, why the hell didn't they taze the dog before shooting it? And the part that is the absolute most disturbing of all is how they stared at the dog, clearly suffering after they shot it, when they had to know that they had done it lethal damage. The last 5 seconds of that video broke my heart. Poor dog suffered and had NO CLUE WHY. :(

When your house gets broken into by an armed intruder Chris De Bar I am sure that you are not going to call the cops for help because some "hard ass cop" might come in and shoot the guy. The officers were dealing with a very serious situation. The guy that got his dog shot was being a dick and provoked a confrontation because he wanted one.

Read your comments: The owner of the rot was very irresposible by NOT securing the dog properly. Playing his music loud like he is at a tailgate party, and acting a fool drawing attention to himself. YES the police in CA can stop to detain and question. Placing cuffs on the subject questioned is for safety only. If you never lived in Southern Cali then you wouldn't understand. The dog reacted in perception of its owner and saw the cops as a threat, well the police can shoot the dog if said animal becomes aggressive. Its all a matter perception Whatever your personal feeling are to LE is valued at the price of a piece of hard candy. As i get older I see younger people not using the overall BIG PICTURE logic and go on emotions alone.

you miss the whole point, he was asked to turn down the music while a crime scene was actively being worked..HE REFUSED...he disobeyed a lawfull order, thats why he was arrested. Watch the video again, it seems to me he knew he was going to be arrested, and wanted to try and use that to further his case pending in court. I Do feel bad for the dog he did no wrong, but to try to protect his owner, even if his owner was a douche bag

well not to mention the dog is on the ferocious or aggressive dog list ie. Pit bull, Doberman Pincher, Rotwieler, Masstiff, Bull dog and others If the owner truely cared for his dog he would have secured it so that no harm may come to it plus if he was going to jail commonsense says call some one to come get his dog so that a thief doesnt !

Turning down the music is not a lawful order, sorry do your research. If there is no noise ordnance in effect which there probably was not, then they can't tell you to turn the music down. From the video it did not appear to be at odd hours (ex: 6am/11pm) . They are over there playing with their flash bangs, megaphones, APC's, etc and music from a car is too loud?? Come on open your eyes don't believe everything you hear, everyone does not have a voice so sometimes the bigger entity gets to tell the story their way! They didn't like that the guy was video taping them so they harassed him!

556 Channel - Almost every city in the nation has some sort of ordinance on the books talking about noise nuisances (ie. the music in your car blasting). Most ordinances say if the music can be heard more than 50 feet from your vehicle it is to loud and you can be cited as a noise nuisance doesn't matter the time of day. And yes, an officer is given the authority by state constitutions and laws, city charters and ordinances, to tell you to turn the music down. It is a lawful order and if not followed you could be cited for resist/obstruct of an officer for not following his directions. As for doing your research regarding, i have done plenty of it as I studied criminal law while in school. And I like how its always harassment when some moron is doing something they know they shouldn't be doing but do it anyway and then bring the police upon themselves. Yes, there is no law that says he can't video tape what is going on, it is all of the other stuff that he is doing which draws attention to himself. He got what he deserved, however unfortunately the dog suffered for his stupidity.

With all the unconstitutional house rads steeling people homes and a hole lot mere like poles brutality allot of cops should be in jail and be discipline but thy get away with it all the time. I would be recording to he had a right to record and keep his music on he was at a good distends away from them maybe some cops just don't now how to do there job and just like to arrest how ever. Since some of you like the reel criminals and seaport them maybe those people should go to jail to now that a majority of poles have become a menace to society.

that jackass put his dog in harms way. instead of securing the dog in a vehicle with the windows at an appropriate height to contain him he was more concerned something that he had nothing to do with. sometimes the cops are shoot happy by the dog did make a questionable move.

Funny part is all the cops had to do was allow the owner to calm the dog which if you Notice the owner was talking to the dog. Instead they made a move for the dog the dog jumped then was shot. Cops need to learn a attack from a animal in defense of its master

That cop better be looking over his back all the time. If it were my dog the police officer would be in civil court fairly soon. They had no reason to stop the guy from filming, they were on a public street. They started the altercation with unjust reasons and antagonized the dog with the handcuffing of his owner. Dogs protect their owners. Again it was started by the police arresting him for filming the incident on a public street which is 100% lawful. The cops were being a$$e$ and didn't want to be filmed.

Ben your a fucking idiot if your placed was just robbed you wouldn't want some pecker head out there in the crime location screwing up the investigation or would you just put a sign in your front yard saying I'm a Fucking idiot so all you crooks come take my stuff it your's if you want it no questions asked ! w

1st-Audio recording is not legal without permission of the people you are recording.
2nd-He was detained for not complying with officers demands to turn the music down.
3rd-He was a disrespectful jackass by pushing the limit on an active crime scene with officers that looked like they where maintaining a perimeter.
4th-Antagonized the dog? Antagonizing requires intent, I really don't think their intention was to "antagonize the dog"
4th-Your an absolute moron

Ben..Did your mother have any children that lived??? Put a badge on that inflated chest of yours and come work a beat with me if you got the stones to do this type of work. I worked with a K/9 for half of my police carrier. Let a Rottie get hold of you and you tell me how it feels. Now the other thing... He was given an order from a police officer to turn down his music because it was interfering with there police investigation. He didn't comply with the order and we all saw the end results. Now you pin head from Alabama, go find you other brother Darrel and piss on his leg and tell him it's raining!!! People like you thinking you know everything there is to know about Law Enforcement make me sick to my stomach!

Daniel Hadley You can audio tape or video tape anywhere or anyone you want.
That cop was a careless douchebag. There were citizens standing all over the place.
There's other means of lesser force. This is an example of over reacting and negligence.

Sorry Dan but you are wrong on all counts..... Audio recording is legal in public areas ...Police failed to secure the area during arrest.... Police were not properly maintaining a perimeter...Intentional or not officer teased the dog..... wait I guess you're right you are a moron...... PS 5th comes after 4th

Hears a fucking idea don't try and grab the fucking leash duh stupid fucks u can see he didn't try shit only when they went at the dog you stupid people must not own dogs if a cop shot my dog it would be bad its like hey fat fuck use yor fucking taser no cops just thank dogs r nothing my dog means more to me than anything it would be like losing a kid cops have mace and tasers its like dude that dog would still be alive if u didn't try and grab it or just maced it which would do the job and bud fuck the cops they go to the wrong address's all the time and fuckin kill peoples animals or the wrong person and tell you what don't need the pigs they r out of control with this shit its like jesus Christ use the taser
and ben good post that music wasn't to loud they r just angry losers that weren't cool in school

If that animal comes at me and I have a gun, I guarantee I shoot that thing dead before it bites me. The guy to blame is the moron owner. As usual however, no one takes responsibility for their own actions. We are a blame others first society. I feel bad for the dog but the police were completely justified. Until it lunged at the officer, they didn't shoot or aggressively go after the dog but once it made for the officer, bang, self defense.

does that dog have a gun? they could have maced it or tazed it. A man can take a dog bare handed. You don't need to take its life. If a animal is trying to attack you and you hit it most of the time it goes away. It might come back again for another shot with your fist, but after a few times it gets the hint. Like a Bear messing with a Wolverine. The bear eventully gets the hint. BE A MAN

The policeman showed no serious effort the restrain the dog and was clearly afraid of it and (gun drawn) intent on killing it. A man can take a dog bare handed... I've done it many times without hurting the dog. This officer teased the dog...was afraid of the dog,,,and did not know how to approach a dog. The dog leash was still on the dog for goodness sake.... why for the love of popcorn would the officer endanger the neighborhood with random gunfire when it wasn't necessary. POLICE FAIL!!

chad, your in same category as the dogs owner. take your head out of ur arse and read the article. the dog would chew your dumb ass up n look for more. that's why you don't stick your nose in business that you have nothing to do with

Chad Brown, by your comment I can tell you have never been in a dog attack.... BARE HANDED, get real. A dog that size, even a dog spray wouldn't stop him, believe me, I've been there a few times in my 28 years at my job and no I wasn't a police officer but at least he had his gun to protect himself and his fellow officers..

r u a cop? didn't think so. have you ever been charged at by a big dog( and dog was charging when he was shot) didn't think so, dog isn't going to stop, he thinks his owner is being hurt. no choice, it sucks,but get bit or shoot dog? GUESS WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN. cop didn't get pleasure out of shooting guys dog.

Tammy, you say the cop had no right to shoot the dog. I can only agree with you in the sense that he didn't have a right to shoot the dog, but he had a duty and responsibility to shoot the dog. A large dog, showing extreme aggression, barking and lunging at my fellow officers (I'm not a cop, by the way), would dictate eliminating the threat.

As a Doberman Pinscher owner I can tell you that you should not own a large German Bred working dog to intimidate people or because you have a ego to stroke. You own a animal of this caliber for the love of the breed and no other reason.This dog's owner appears to be mis handling that fact and strutting this animal in a situation clearly no one belongs in. However since the dog was clearly visible to the Police well before they approached this man and during the approach they knowingly approached this animals area and owner clearly aware of the fact that the dog was not properly secured. Knowing this it would be their duty to make damn well sure this animal since it is a factor in the approach be secured properly. They did nothing of the sort. This should been priority #1) For the owners safety, their safety, on lookers safety as well as the dog. The animal gave ample warning that indicated it my react. Having said that that ample warning means its time to properly secure the animal. Defuse the situation and secure the animal and then proceed. Again nothing of the sort. Animal jumps out and does exactly what working dogs do. Again still ways at that point to defuse the situation without shots ringing out. Still even once the dog after ample warning advances the cowardness to open fire is evident. Mace, Belly club, Stun Gun or what ever other means Police carry should have been used. How about a warning shot in the air first to attempt to scare the dog? Even at that your really afraid and have that little confidence in yourself that you can't take a single dog with your bare hands? Granted you may get a bite or 2 big deal whimp. This story is not about how stupid the dog owner is since that ship has already sailed. This story to me shows the lack of thinking and planning and common sense on the person(s) responsible for opening fire. Posters can go onto state that the owner is stupid and that it his at fault. Again that ship already sailed. However on the flip side many police dogs are killed in the line of duty do you blame and state a police officer is stupid and that it is their fault at that point? Sorry this could have been defused right from the get go.

its not the movies or wild west, cops aren't firing a warning shot. we all agree owner is a moron. no cop is going to let the dog bite him vs shooting it. ever hear of rabies or other diseases dogs can carry. not to mention the damage a dog like that can do with a bite.randy made some good points but then starts rambling jibberish. sorry guys owners fault all the way. dog should still be alive if he wasn't such an a-hole.

I can tell you that I have been almost attacked 3 times by dogs when I am walking my dog every morning, all three times I pulled out my 9 mm and would have no problem shooting the dog if it was going to BITE ME or my DOG. All 3 times the owner saw I was ready to shoot and yelled and the dog stopped within 20 feet of me but if they came closer it would of been shot because I have the right to protect myself from bodily harm as my DOG its FLORIDA LAW check it out. Yes I have a CCW LICENSE so the gun is legal. One dog I even tried to pepper spray and the dog didn't stop it kept coming even though the dog was covered in spray its face was all RED from the spray. So if DOG OWNERS are STUPID enough to let there dogs run loose or get out and they attack people they should be locked up because the dog doesn't know any better it just knows one thing BITE and I am not getting bit or is my DOG because of a STUPID OWNER.

The fact that some people commenting think there's nothing wrong with what happened here is particularly disturbing to me. What the hell do you think a dog will do when seeing their owner being taken away? Besides, it wasn't violently attacking them.. it was getting attention and acting confused - um, a natural reaction? In no way did the dog deserve to be shot and killed... this is not just a world for humans and the police should use their power in a more productive and ethical manner. Sure, the guy could have turned down his music... but that's not the issue here anymore.. it's the fact that the police are getting more and more violent every day for absolutely ridiculous reasons. Give me a break.

Mr Rosby should not have been arrested. The cops created a dangerous situation when they arrested Rosby before asking him to secure the car and the dog. Unprofessional behavior like this gets people killed, like those bystanders shot by cops in NYC. Fire these guys. They are a liability.

so hes allowed to go back to the car to secure the dog and car, he pulls an assault rifle while doing so, and proceeds to shoot at cops. i'm almost certain that is not ANY departments policy. YOUR irrational thought process is what gets people killed.

The guy got his dog killed simple at that. BUT the COPS were to quick to shoot too! They shot before really trying to contain the dog. They need to call Caesar and get some dog handing training. They didn't give the poor animal a chance! Please demand mantory dog handling classes for ALL COPS! Most Cops would rather have shot the owner than the dog.

The cop is a jackass for reaching for a dog that thinks it is protecting its owner. Simple solution? Get the man you're arresting to calm the dog down. Now they're going to have lawsuits flying at them from the kids that you could hear screaming. Forget the poor dog, those kids are going to fear the police even more. This is why police are hated.

Cody Cook. If you touch me, my dog will eat your face. You'll have to shoot him to stay alive. He WILL kill you. That's why I don't take him to dangerous places. And that's why the police had no choice but to kill the dog.

The music had nothing to do with the crime scene. It was on for a lengthy time and the cops paid it no mind. Only when did man start filming the police did they want to approach him, AND after he started walking towards his car. This is a clear act of hatred against this man. The police in this video are SCUM for doing what they did. The officers had no right to put the man in handcuffs, thus leading to the dog getting out of the car to protect his human companion as he should!

I have no idea why the police took the guy into custody, all he was doing was video taping the incident and he put the dog in the car when the cops were going to get/arrest him. While that dog was defending it's master and no doubt would have inflicted harm to the cops.

He was playing his music at very loud levels, which interfered with the police's ability to communicate when dealing with an armed intruder holed up in a house. Even after they requested he turn it down, he failed to comply. He was endangering the officers, the intruder, and everyone around them with this stunt - that's the reason he was being arrested.

He was simply egging them on, trying to get more material for his already-trumped up civil case against them. He was counting on some sort of incident and got it. As far as I can see, he purposefully put that dog in an unwinnable situation that got the dog killed as a result.

The guy should have secured the dog but the cops should have gotten a handle on the dog first. I know dogs can be vicious but...there are 4 guys there that can easily take the dog without needing to shoot it.

Mr. Chen: I've owned dogs most of my life, and I know what they can do. They are animals, and can rip your hand apart even if you throw a fast punch! Happened to me, once, fortunately for everyone, it didn't bite me--easily could have, though. I had no idea they were "that" quick!

I have watched the video a few times, the man doesn't resist the arrest. I think the officers should of given the man a warning and told him to move on and leave coz he was too close to the crime scene. As for the dog I watched the video a number of times. They didn't need to shoot the dog. If it was a white man would they have acted the same way? Or would they have just given a simple warning for the man to walk away move on nothing to see. I think they overracted by killing the dog.

@Heather, what should they have done to get the dog under control, offer him a doggie biscuit? They did give him a warning to turn his stupid music down, because it was making an already dangerous situation worse, and asked him to leave and he refused. He egged the situation on, got what he deserved. He put his dog in that situation; he had to know the dog would jump out the open windows. No one needs to be bitten by an out of control dog before they act in self-defense.

Don Tyson No you moron. They have pepper spray, tazers or THE REALLY SMART answer call animal control and don't panic. this was straight up panic on the officers part. Oh and I watched that couple times and couldn't see a single person there that wasn't acting like an self righteous ass.

@Heather they obviously warned him multiple times, its in the statement and you can see/hear them yelling back and forth. They didn't have to shoot the dog, no. They did, however, have to incapacitate the dog. I don't think anyone will dispute the fact that the animal was going to attack to protect its owner. Its a pity, but the owner is 100% at fault for the animal's death. As for why it wasn't tazed; police tazers are specifically designed for use on humans. The barbs are designed to land on the upper chest and lower chest/waist so that the electrical circuit that results passes over desirable muscle regions. Firing a tazer at a low-to-the-ground target is not advisable as the lower barb will most likely not strike the target. He would have had to go in-contact with the animal and exponentially increased the danger of the situation.

Sad day, but avoidable if this moron hadn't been interfering with police business and brought his dog along. I've had to put my own dog down and its not easy to watch, but the truth is the truth.

The A-Hole owner should have been shot along with the dog. The officer tried to contain the poor dog- but could not without putting himself at risk. If a vicious animal like that is coming at me and I have a gun or other weapon, the animal is going down for the count. The owner was just taunting the cops. Now the bastard is bringing charges against the cops. The owner should be charged for endangering the cops both with the intruder and with the dog.

Yah that's so rude of the police officer to do that, right? He was supposed to let himself, or someone else get attacked instead, right? I'm confident that if any of you were to be attacked by a dog of that breed, you'd be praying for a gun. And would be screaming for someone to call the cops..